Realization
by Ethereal-Aria
Summary: Their eyes connected and something in the air changed. Subtly, the world seemed to tilt a few degrees off of its axis and everything seemed so obvious in that moment. He was in love with Troy Bolton.  Tryan.  OneShot.


**Author's note: **Hello all! This pairing is extremely new to me and I'm not really sure if I've done it any justice. I always thought that Ryan belonged with someone nice and, no matter what people say or how they feel, Troy _is _a nice guy and I believe he would really take care of Ryan. This was written in the space of two hours, so if there are any mistakes, or if it's not that stellar, I'm very, very sorry. It was sort of an inspiration that I couldn't get rid of and I just had to pen it down. I admire so many writers of this pairing and I'm absolutely terrified of not doing it justice, but I gave it a shot. Please enjoy:)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own, nor will I ever own, the characters or rights to "High School Musical".

**Setting: **During "High School Musical 2" a few days after Troy and Sharpay have performed "You Are The Music In Me : Reprise".

**Please keep in mind: **That this story does not contain any sexually-related materiel and is not graphic in that way. However, there is some heavy kissing and the rating borders on a high T and very tame M.

* * *

Ryan sat alone in the closet; dejected and utterly, utterly lonely. 

Some would laugh at his situation and call his 'being in the closet' a hilarious irony, but at the moment, he couldn't think of anything less funny. How was it funny to hide how you felt? How on Earth was it funny to be stuck in a stuffy, dark place where it was the only space acceptable to be who you were? How the Hell was it funny to be moping in a metaphorical closet in which it only reminded him of his awful, awful situation?

Ryan sure didn't find anything funny in that statement at the moment.

Leaning his head back and hitting it rather harshly upon the shelves behind him, he cursed softly, ignoring his policy about using foul language. His jaw tightening in annoyance, he closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of these taunting thoughts...

Who was Troy Bolton to swoop out of nowhere and steal his family's attention? Who was Troy Bolton to ease his way into his sister's heart? Who was Troy Bolton to win his father's constant praise and his mother's incessant adoration? Who was Troy Bolton to replace him in his own family?

Who was Troy Bolton to make him care so much?

And that was the scary thing. He cared. A great deal. He'd never hated the guy, but he'd never idolized him like ninety-nine percent of the East High student body. Now? He wasn't so sure, but also the fact that Troy didn't spare him a scrap of attention didn't help matters much either.

Shifting uncomfortably upon the wooden floor and sighing loudly, wanting to be dramatic even in his solitude, he couldn't help but long for some of the athlete's attention. He chatted with Ryan's mother, he laughed with Ryan's father, he even made an effort to stoke at the fires of Sharpay's desperate love, but even spare a glance for Ryan himself? No. Not a chance. And now, everyone seemed to be following in his footsteps. Now, not many people talked to Ryan. Not when they had Troy Bolton.

Who needed Ryan when they could have Troy? Not Sharpay. Sharpay didn't need Ryan for the talent show. Not his mother. His mother didn't need Ryan to walk her to the spa. Certainly not his father. His father didn't need him to him company on the golf course. Not when they had _Troy Bolton_.

A warrant sob passed through Ryan's throat and he touched his fingertips gingerly to his Adam's apple. He was crying? A sarcastic smile flitted across his lips and he allowed another strangled sob to pass. Might as well just give in; no-one to hear you, he thought bitterly. No-one to care either, he reminded himself as he gave into the knot constricting his vocal cords. Tears began to cascade down his cheeks and he lowered his head onto his bent knees. Hugging his legs to his chest, he sobbed violently into the khaki materiel of his pants and felt his shoulders wrack in time with his cries. Hands trembling, he gripped his knees tightly and held himself together somehow.

Suddenly, the door opened with force and voices were heard.

"Yeah, man, just going to get something," called the boy at the door.

A laugh was heard, "Need any help?" answered a playful voice further away.

Ryan glanced up fearfully, his heart hammering sharply against the confines of his chest and the person in the threshold seemed to realize his presence and stop short. They stared at eachother for a few moments and Ryan's mind suddenly went blank. What to do? What to do?

The form at the door, never taking their eyes off of Ryan, shouted, "Nah, just going to clean out the storage closet." After a beat, he added, "Might take a while, so don't worry about me."

Another laugh farther away this time, "Alright, man, have fun."

The door shut and Ryan found himself in the presence of Troy Bolton. Those pale blue eyes seemed to almost glow in the dark - which was preposterous, of course - and they bored uncomfortably into Ryan's wet ones. The expression on his face was troubled and his lips were pressed tightly together in a sort of confused, yet oddly compassionate grimace. Dressed in a regulation dull blue shirt and name tag pinned rather crookedly upon his breast, Troy lingered awkwardly at the door, a hand still poised upon the rusting handle. Feeling stupid upon the floor, Ryan bounded awkwardly to his feet and he hadn't even bothered to wipe the long streaks of dampness upon his cheeks, too bewildered and caught off guard to really do anything. His nose felt like it was about to run so he sniffled and it came out much too loud. The sound should have made the other boy cringe, but it didn't and it seemed to incite him to speak.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally, head quirked ever slightly to the side. Ryan guessed that he could sort of understand why everyone liked him. After all, he was inquiring -

No. Definitely not the time.

Being incredibly stupid and feeling like a dolt, Ryan said nothing. He merely gave a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders and avoided the Wildcat's gaze. There was the object of his torment and all he could do was, well, nothing?

Troy, being the sickeningly nice guy that he was, decided to stride over to Ryan's corner and lean on the shelves beside him. "There's got to be something up," he prompted, legs crossed in front of him and hands in his pockets. "Or, if you want, I could just leave and this whole thing would just sort of be forgotten," he added, gesturing uselessly with his hands and looking directly at Ryan and making the dancer feel a slight blush creep into his cheeks.

Ryan mumbled something on purpose, wanting to say something, but not really wanting Troy to hear. He was being so difficult and he knew it, too, but he was just all too busy forcing himself to believe that blush spread neatly across his face had something to do with the room and not the boy next to him...

"What was that?" asked the other boy, patiently.

"My family likes you better than me," muttered Ryan, fixing a spot on the floor and not daring to look at the person next to him.

Now why in God's name would you ever say that, thought he vehemently, but even though his desire to swallow up the words he'd just pronounced was burning, there was not a thing he could do.

There was a long - a very, very long - pause and the silence felt like a huge void of nothingness to Ryan. Nothing happened, nothing moved, nothing made a sound, he didn't even remember if he was breathing or not. The entire closet seemed to be tuned in to their conversation and since they'd fallen silent, the entire atmosphere had decided to freeze. Sneaking a look at Troy, Ryan saw that his features bore slight hints of horror and confusion. His mouth was agape and he was staring at Ryan with a frightening intensity. Sorry that he even looked, Ryan shifted his gaze back to the greyish tiles of the floor. Smooth move there, Ryan, he heard a voice in his head drawl sarcastically. He couldn't help but agree...

"That's not -" began East High's golden boy, but the Drama King cut him off.

"Yes, it is, so don't -"

"No," said Troy firmly and a bit loudly, which caused Ryan to start and give a little glance at the door. Would anyone hear...? "That is _not _true," stated the taller boy with a serious gleam in his eyes. His caring demeanor of earlier had vanished and he seemed perturbed and a bit insulted.

"Yes, it is," persisted the blonde boy, his soft tone close to silence. Why was he saying these things?

This made the brunette close his mouth and he pulled back a bit. Finally, Ryan perked up anough courage to look Troy in the eye and the hurt in those icy blue orbs made his heart clench. What had he done to upset him so much?

Troy's gaze shifted downward, but Ryan didn't seem to want to detach his eyes from the athlete's face. Why was he even trying to comfort him? Shouldn't he be running out to his friends, roaring with laughter, and announcing that the gay, little theatre geek was crying in the supply closet? What was stopping him?

"Your sister misses you," blurted out the Wildcat superstar suddenly, looking up and making eye contact.

"Huh?" choked Ryan, not expecting that comment at all.

"You can tell that performing with me frustrates her. She's obviously used to performing with someone who actually knows what to do on a stage," admitted Troy with an undicipherable expression adorning his traits. Ryan must have looked as if he were incapable of speech for the athlete continued, "Your mom only talks about you and how I should take up yoga like you and your dad basically tells me that my fashion sense is inferior to yours." This last confession was punctuated by a short, hesitant chuckle, but his little smile vanished immediately, seeing the actor's disbelief.

"You're making this up," whispered Ryan, his expression neutral, but his voice betraying an embarassing hopefulness.

"No," exclaimed Troy, shaking his head, "No, I'm not," he continued, those eyes never straying from Ryan's face, "Sharpay is always making suggestions about my dancing, or my outfit and you can totally tell that, in her head, she wants to make me into something reminiscent of you."

Perhaps it was Troy's use of the word 'reminiscent' or perhaps it was simply the fact that the most popular boy in school was complimenting him - in an offbeat manner, but what did it matter? - but Ryan could feel his jaw hanging open in a rather conspicuous way. Bringing his lips together and running his tongue over them in a nervous habit - unaware of the slight shiver that traveled up Troy's skin at the action - he closed his eyes for a split second, feeling remaining dropplets of water clinging to his eyelashes and shook his head again, slower this time. "You can't be serious," he murmured, opening his eyes.

The other boy nodded once and affirmed, "I am."

Refusing to believe it - seeing as Sharpay would never even entertain the notion of transforming the perfect Troy Bolton into anything even resembling her brother - Ryan continued in his stubborn denial of the athlete's declarations, "You can't. I mean, not when they have..." How to finish that sentence? Someone like you?

Troy seemed to understand and didn't seem to like the implication. "I'm not better than you," he soothed firmly.

Ryan dismissed this with an irritated breath passing between his lips and a flick of his head.

Troy's brows furrowed and he leaned in closer, "I don't think that you get it," he said in disaproval, "we're different, that's true, but you're better at a whole bunch of things than me," he stated, a hand making a gesture. "You're better at public speaking than me, I hear that you play baseball a lot better than me, you're a better dancer than me, you're definitely a better actor than me, you're better at Math than me - I've seen all of your tests, you sit next to me you know - and you're sure as Hell better at dressing than me," he finished, placing a reassuring hand on Ryan's shoulder and giving it a little shake. "You're better than me at a lot of things and if no-one else has told you that, well then, someone should," finished the brunette with a certain assurance blazing in his eyes.

For the moment, all Ryan could do was stare. Dumbfounded, he simply bore his gaze into the one of his - up until a few moments ago - sworn rival or something like it. Not a soul had ever given him such a large and lengthy compliment and now he knew what all the fuss was about.

It felt nice.

A small smile broke out on his tear-streaked face and he searched Troy's face for seconds, appreciation seeping out of his every pore. Reaching out to take the hand upon his shoulder, he gave it a little squeeze of gratitude and the intimacy of the gesture seeemed to upset neither of the boys. "Thanks," murmured Ryan with gratitude evident in his eyes.

Suddenly, Troy leaned in dangerously close to Ryan's face and he felt his heart jump. His every limb frozen, he merely stood, a transfixed statue, his gaze locked - embarassingly - on the other boy's lips. Ryan's neck tilted forward a bit, as if to lean in for a kiss, but stopped. The movement was small, but utterly perceivable. In the silence of the closet, Troy drew in a little breath that made the actor shiver.

Glancing up with trepidation, he gazed at the boy before him from beneath his eyelashes. Their eyes connected and something in the air changed. Subtly, the world seemed to tilt a few degrees off of its axis and everything seemed so obvious in that moment. He was in love with Troy Bolton.

If he'd somehow harbored that secret love in his heart for quite some time, it seemed incredibly unlikely as the immensity of the realization crashed down upon him with a jarring brutality. He'd been hit and he'd been hit hard. His breath was stolen away and his heart seemed to compress somewhere inside of his chest, as if it had been ironed out and flattened in shock. Little sparks of energy coursed through his fingers, his arms, his stomach, his knees and his entire being felt as if it were being rewired to fully embrace this sort of epiphany. His brain felt like it had jammed and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was rebooting or something... His whole body felt like it was adapting to this new and entirely unexpected turn of events.

He was in love.

With Troy.

Slowly, he felt his heart begin to inflate and his lungs begin to expand once more. His body was calming and was tingling with a warm, almost lethargic sensation and his brain was beginning to fire up and form coherent thoughts again. Things began to click and slide into place with a surprising amount of ease and Ryan felt right. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he really understood. He understood. He knew and he was alright. It was all right.

Perhaps it was his fresh state of mind, but he couldn't help but feel as if Troy was looking at him in a way that he couldn't describe as merely friendly. There was something in those pale, smoky eyes that spoke volumes of intensity and hints of something else, something... more. There'd been a change in the room and Ryan was sure it wasn't simply himself who'd felt it. Their faces had changed and their demeanors had changed as well. There was an inordinate amount of concentration and tension in the air; there was the thickness of desire in the atmosphere and both boys seemed to be gradually becoming more and more aware of it's presence in the little room. Troy's gaze made waves of heat wash over the blonde's body and those eyes seemed to be magnetic. Ryan was being pulled closer and closer to that tantalizing form and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.

The more he drew near to the athlete, the more the other boy's breathing seemed to pick up speed. Could it be that he really wanted this, too? Slowly, painfully so, their lips continued to close the distance between them; inch by inch, little by little, they were soon a breadth apart. Everything seemed to stand still as their breaths intermingled and the warmth of the other's flesh was within reach. The space between their mouths was minimal, but they both seemed to hover there for sweet moments of eternity in which they both realized that they wanted this; a them, a together. For a brief second, their glances crossed paths and they were each glazed over with hazy passion; when the gray eyes met the blue ones, they knew that this - whatever this was - wouldn't - absolutely could not - be put off for one more second.

It was Troy who closed the space between them - but when they would later look back on the moment, they would both insist that they didn't remember who'd initiated it - and the brushing of their lips produced fervent, almost desperate reactions from each.

Ryan's fingers immediately wound themselves into Troy's soft, brown locks and he pressed himself closer, kissing frantically. Troy's head tilted to gain better access to Ryan's mouth and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's back, elbows interlocked and hands roaming. They'd each trapped the other in the almost violent embrace, but neither complained as each was too busy heatedly kissing the other. Troy's lips ravaged Ryan's savagely and the blonde moaned deeply into the brunette's mouth, eliciting a shiver from each. The basketball star leaned roughly into the actor and made them lose balance. Ryan's back slammed into the shelves behind him, and his feet clumsily shuffled around to regain his footing, never releasing Troy. The stumble was quickly forgotten and the kisses deepened and only picked up momentum.

All judgment had slipped away and neither was too keen on its return. Troy's tongue, wet and warm, leisurely traced a damp line across Ryan's lower lip and he lost all feeling in his limbs, causing his knees to buckle and lean into the shelves for support. A breathy sigh escaped his swollen lips and Troy felt something stir deep inside of him; unfamiliar, but not at all unpleasant. Trembling, Ryan brought his hands to the back of Troy's collar, seized the materiel and pulled his head closer to his. Behind his closed eyelids, the taller boy saw white flashes of light that he could only describe as ecstasy and he shuddered in synch with his moan. Ryan's damp eyelashes occasionally brushed across Troy's flesh and the remaining caress of tears upon his face were soon gone as Troy unconsciously wiped them away.

They were lost, completely lost, in one another and they didn't plan on finding themselves anytime soon, either. Arching his back into a particularly passionate kiss, Ryan hips connected with Troy's and surges of white-hot electricity ripped through each of their bodies. Tearing his lips away from Ryan's, Troy buried his face into the smaller boy's neck, breathing harshly. The Drama King's body quaked in desire and waves of pleasure and Troy treasured the trembling form at his fingertips. Curiously, Troy pressed his hips to Ryan's once again and almost passed out from the sensation. It was so... good.

Ryan, pressed up against the shelves, his heart beating fiercely, wanted nothing more than to feel Troy's body flush against his again. Licking his red lips, he cupped one of Troy's cheeks and brought his face up to his. Staring into those opaque eyes for a split second, he remarked on the angular set of his jaw and fingered the lines of his face in a brief moment of tenderness. Troy's hands were still gripping his back and there was a sudden, very intense desire to feel his skin upon his own. Incensed at the thought, Ryan leaned forward suddenly and began kissing the line of that angular jaw. His kisses were sloppy and slow, but they burned Troy's skin. Once, when Ryan was nearing his ear, the touch of his tongue to the dampness of the athlete's skin made Troy's waist grind against the blonde's and a sigh replaced the tongue. His eyelids fluttering shut, Troy basked in the aftertaste of Ryan's kisses; the lithe, strong body against his felt incredibly right.

Soon, the actor's kisses resumed and traveled to Troy's neck; the softer expanse of flesh eagerly anticipating that skilled mouth. Ryan's tongue grew bolder and drew the occasional circle upon the basketball star's skin, making the boy's legs weaker and weaker each time. Without realizing it, Troy's body began to slowly sink to the ground and, as his fingers were tangled up in the materiel of the other boy's shirt, he dragged Ryan along with him. His back sliding down the shelves and bringing him closer to Troy at the same time, Ryan continued to kiss and let his tongue run over the tender skin of Troy's neck, stopped of any further progress by the neckline of his t-shirt.

Hitting the ground and with both legs bent to accommodate Troy's body, he leaned back to catch his breath. Troy, now kneeling between Ryan's calves, unwittingly, drew in closer, head lolling backwards, in hopes of more kisses. The view of Troy's neck with the lines of bone and muscles jutting forth proudly before him was oddly beautiful and caused Ryan's arms to wrap themselves around the firm body of the Wildcat superstar and bestow the most loving of kisses upon that blessed flesh. His teeth grazed over a pulse point upon Troy's neck and made his back arch gracefully into Ryan's chest. Bringing a hand to finger the collar of his shirt, he pulled a portion of it back to rain a kiss upon the tip of Troy's shoulder blade. Underneath his lips, the brunette shuddered in ecstasy. Spurred on by the reaction, more of the fabric was pulled back and another wet kiss was pressed to the sun-kissed skin. Another shudder followed. For a third time, the collar was pulled as far as it could go and another lingering kiss was on the top of Troy's shoulder. The stretching materiel was cutting into the other side of Troy's neck and, in frustration; the basketball star grabbed at the collar and ripped it apart; shocking the both of them with his desperation.

There was a momentary pause in which each greedily gulped in gasps of air, but it was soon over as Ryan's lips were drawn magnetically to Troy's newly exposed skin. The athlete's shoulder was freed from the materiel and the blonde's lips folded over the rounded, warm flesh. Troy's hands came to clutch at Ryan's forearms, head facing the ceiling, and he whimpered the other boy's name softly, "Ryan..." The sound of his name when spoken like _that _made something swirl and ache dully in the pit of Ryan's stomach. Tentatively, with quivering hands, he slipped his fingers beneath the fabric of Troy's shirt and began making a slow ascent up his back.

The sensation of skin against skin made the basketball star shudder and collapse against Ryan who only continued to caress the slick, muscular skin of Troy's back. Running his fingers across the firm planes of flesh, he stopped short when Troy's mouth found his ear and took the lobe gently in between his top lip and tongue. The muscles in his hands tightened as the soft skin was rolled slowly, pleasurably in the other boy's mouth, passing over lips, tongue and teeth. The warmth and dampness of the feeling was driving Ryan mad and he hugged Troy's body closer, rolling the boy's shirt up to his abdomen. Suddenly, his ear was released and before he had the chance to protest, the Wildcat superstar rolled his hips in a way that made Ryan's body slide down even more shelves; it was drawn-out, intentional and full of blessed friction. His hips dragged up and then down, slowly and deliberately, again and again as Ryan's eyelids shut tightly, heart threatening to burst from his chest at any second. There was only so much he could take. Fisting a hand into Troy's soft brown tendrils of hair once again, he captured the other boy's lips with his in a vain attempt of calming his racing blood. There was something in Ryan's kiss that made Troy slow and, somehow, that one kiss made their hot haze of passion begin to clear and cool. The motions of their bodies slowed and they each seemed to melt into the other's arms as the kiss continued.

Their grips on the other softened and their mouths began to practice tenderness. Their lips were tender in their kiss and, finally, they broke apart to inhale some much needed oxygen. Never creating much distance between their faces, they hovered closely to each other, lips barely brushing, eyes looking fearfully at the other. Catching their breath, they simply stared at one another, taking in details they'd never noticed before. Ryan noted the subtle dip of Troy's upper lip and the gentle curve of the tip of his nose. Troy marveled at the ethereal pallor of Ryan's skin and the way the dim light seemed to catch in his ocean blue eyes. Softly threading his fingers into the golden locks of Ryan's hair, he let the silky strands slip through his fingers and a little smile curved his lips still tingling from the blonde's kisses. Ryan's heart liquefied at the sight of Troy's easy smile and he returned the action tentatively.

Leaning in and touching his lips to Troy's briefly, letting his mouth linger for a moment, he drew back and glanced up for the brunette's reaction. Drawing the smaller boy into him, he took his mouth in a slower, sweeter version of the kiss that had started it all. When their lips met for the second time, they both inhaled deeply though their noses, their sharp intakes of breath ringing in the silent air. Pressing several chaste kisses upon the other's mouth before parting again, a radiant smile illuminated each of their faces. Ryan's eyes traveling to Troy's forehead, he observed the minuscule beads of sweat pearling at his temples, "You're sweating," he stated quietly, running shy fingertips over the damp skin.

A low chuckle rumbled in the athlete's throat and he said nothing while gazing at Ryan. Who would have ever guessed, he thought to himself.

"I think-" whispered the dancer, "I think I might like you," he murmured seriously as he blanched at his words. Who said such things?

A gentle smile graced Troy's lips and he said, "I _know _I like you."

A lopsided grin replaced Ryan's hesitant expression from before and he felt himself blush. He more than liked Troy, but that didn't matter at the moment... Grinning sweetly, Troy cupped a strong hand to Ryan's cheek, closed the distance between their mouths and kissed him again for the third time and counting.

That, however, mattered very much, thought Ryan before deepening the kiss with a smile.

Stuck in a closet...

How funny.

* * *

**Final note: **Oh, dear... I've never before written anything like this before and I'd very much like some feedback. I was encouraged to post this so hopefully it meets everyone's expectations... There have been many amazing Tryan stories on here and I suppose I was inspired to write my own. It's nothing wonderful, that's for sure, but it needed to be written and I really, really hope that at least some people enjoy it:) Please, do tell me what you think as this is for you! 


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